Improvement in repeating fire-arms



H. GEN HAR T RBPBATING- FIRBARM.

N0.w16,4'77. Patented Jan. 27, 1857.

OZ lf u e O 7@ WM a QE L Jig-'2.

. back it projects within the periphery.

PATENT OFFICE.

A HEINRICH GENHART,

OF LIEGE, BELGIUM.

IMPROVEMENT IN REP'EATING FIRE-ARMAS.

Specification formingpart oE-Letters Patent No. 16,477, dated Jannary27, 1857.

To all lwhom it may concern: A A Be it known thatI, HEINRICH GENHART,

fof the towaet.. Liege, in the Kingdom ot' Belginm,have invented new and useful Improvementsn Fire-Arms, of which the following is .a full, clear, and, exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanyingdrawngs,making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 3, a bottom view with the the barrel, mounted in the wooden' stock b in such manner that it can slide thereon longitudinally to the extent of an eighth of an inch, (more or 1css,) atrthe discretion of the constructor. For this purpose the barrel is formed with projecting lugs con the under side inthe usual manner, with mortises for the fasteningkeys d to pass through; butin this case the mortises in the lugs are made so much longer than .the width of the keys as to allow the bar. rel to slide on the keys the required extent. The rear end of the barrel is turned down-to a smaller diameter and of a cylindrical shape to t accurately andslide in a cylindrical hole in a projection", e, on the front side of ahollow cylindrical breech-case, f, fitted and secured to thestock. The inner periphery of this breechcase is cylindrical,with its axis at right angles to the bore'ot the barrel, and when the barrel is pushed forward to the greatest extent ot' its motion yits rear end is ush with the inner perphery ofthe said breech-case, and when draw n To the inside of this breech-case is fitted a flat metal cylinder, g, which turns and rests on a central stud or pivot, h, extending up from the center of the bottom of the breech-case. A series of chambers, i, are formedin this cylinder from the periphery toward the centerand extending to the required depth tocontain eat-bacartridgeof the required form and size. Tinl bore .of each chamber is as m uch'larger than the bore. of the barrel as the thickness ot' the metal case of the cartridge to be` described, and the forward end is enlarged for a short distance from the periphery of the cylinder inward to a sufficient extent to Ireceive the rear end 'of the barrel when drawn back, which rear end 'if such barrel 'is made to fit accurately the said enlarged part ot` the'bore and to bear against the edge of the ball, as represented in Fig. 2. The upper part ot' the peripheryvot' the cylinder projects in the form of a ange over and beyond the edge of the breech-case, and the edge ot' this flange is milled to facilitate the turning of the cylinder or many-chambered rotating breech. In the under4 face ot' this rotating breechthere are small cavities or holes. one for each chamber, to receive the end ota bolt,- j, (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1,)whieh' works through a hole in the bottom of the breechcase, the lower end of the said holt he-- ing connected by a small plate, lr, with the lower end ot a sliding'spring-button, i, that extends up above the top ot' the breech-case and outside otl the periphery of the rotating.;` breech, so that by pressing down the said button with one finger the. boltl is forced down and unlocks the rotating breech, that. it may be turned fora short distance by the. other tin gers of the same hand to bring the. next chamber in line with thc barrel.

The position ot' the bolt and therecesses in I which it lits should be snch relatively to the barreland the chambers in the rotating breech that the locking will only take place when one of the chambers is in line with the barrel.

The hammer for discharging the loads in succession is a cylindrical piece ot' metal, m, placed parallel with and but; a short distance from the central stud or pivot, It, and adapted to slide-in a hole made in the bottom of the breech-case. The lower part of this `hammer is reduced toa smaller diameter to pass through a hole in the mainspring n, to which it is secured by a head or nnt,p, below, so that the working of the mainspring will operate. the said hammer. The mainspring n is attached by a screw, q, to the under side ot' the breeeh.

case. The leaf n' of the said spring, to which the hammer is attached, is forced by the tension towardthe under face ofthe breech-case, and is forced awayi, from such face 1n the act of cookingr by two pins, r r, which project one from each face of an eccentric, s, or wheel on a shaft, vt, having its bearin gs in projections au from the under side of thc breech-case. `The end n. of the mainspring for some distance is cut out to extend on each side of the eccentric s andof Vthe 'springcatch c. One end of this springfcatch v is hinged by a fulcrnmpin, w, to the underside of the breech-case. l'ts rear face has a projecting catch or shoulder at x, to catch and bold the mainsprin g when distended by the turning of the shaft t, the tension ofthe rear spring, y, forcing the catch in place so soon as the mainspring has been brought to 'the required distance to cock the hammer.

- The eccentric s is surrounded by a bridle or link, z, the opposite end of which is hinged to oneend of an adjustable screw-bolt, a', which passes through a lug, b', on the un\der side of the barrel, and connected therewith bya' nut, c', on each end, so that by turning these nuts the position ot' the barrel relatively to' the breech can be adjusted with the greatest nicety.

To one end of the shaft t is secured a handlever, d', which lies along the sideo-i' the stock, and by'which the shaft can bef'tnrne'd to force out the inainspring and vcock the hammer,- and to slide the barrel in andout. When this hand-lever is forced down the pins on the sides o f the eccentric force ont the mainsprng until the spring-catch takes and holds it, and at the same time the eccentric slides the barrel `outward to draw the rear end out of the month of one of the chambers, that the rotating breech may be turned to bring the next chamber' in line,l and then by drawing tip the hand-lever the eccentric is turned inthe opposite direction to drawv back the barrel and force its rear lend into the enlarged mouth ot' the next chlamber and against the front edge of the ball to' inclose it firmly within its chamber 'and hold it therein for the discharge of the load. "lhe arm is' then in acondition to be fired, the breech being held in line not only' by they sl'iring-bolt', but by tbe'rear end of the barrel inserted in the. forward endof the chamber from which a load is to be discharged, and the axis of the eccentric bing in, or nearly in, line with the axis of its shaft and the point of attachment with the barrel to resist the recoil. l

The dischargeis effected by pulling the usual trigger, e', the inner arm of which is connected by a pin-with one end of a sliding' rod, f', adapled to `slide longitudinally in suitable l against the face of the spring-catch v, which liberates the mainsprin g, by which the hammer is forced upward to effect the discharge.

, The cartridges h', for loading the chambers in the rotating breech, are of the form represented in the drawings, Fig. ii, with a cylindrical ball, fi', in front, and the powder behind,

in a conical, or nearly conical, form, contained within a thin metallic case. The rear end of the ball on which the powder acts is dat, and the front end slightly round, or of any other suitable shape; and the chambers in the rotating breech are made of a shape corresponding with the cartridges, and as the bore ofthe chambers is slightly greater than the bore of the barrel the rear' end thereof, when drawn hack into the enlarged part of the chambers, makes pressure on the front face of the ball all around the edge.

The cartridges are pierced at the rear end or apex' in the line of the longitudinal axis to receive a small metallic tube, i2, one endv of which extends within the charge of powder, and the other endto about an equal extent 'outside of the* cartridges and when these cartridges are inserted inthe chambers ofthe rotating' breech the projecting tube il enters a small bore, k', at-thc bottom of each chamber and across a' cavity madefrom the bottom ofthe rotating breech, iii which the hammer strikes atnthe moment' of the discharge to strike thistube and explode the fulminating or other suitable igniting'conipoulnd contained in thej said tube to intl-amc the powder in the care' trdge.

I d o not wish toghel understoodas limiting. my claim of invention to the special constructi'on and form herein specified, as these may bev Varied within' the principle of my invention.

What l claim as new, and desire to secure' by Letters Patent, is- Y The combinationv of the rotating breech, with radial chambers for containing 4a series of charges, substantially as described,- in combination with the sliding barrel, the rear end of which is fitted to enter theforward end of each chamber when brought in line,substantiall y as and for the purposes specified.

H. GENHAR'I.` Witnesses Z. GHA'Bo'r, JOHN PIDDINGTON. 

